About Us

Mission

To conduct cutting-edge multidisciplinary research on emerging, as well as perennial, ethical issues arising in clinical practice and in biomedical research in a changing environment. The results will inform our teaching of trainees at all levels, our clinical practice and our contributions to the development of health policy at the local, national and international levels.

Ultimately, we seek to create a shared, sustainable, intellectual environment in which all stakeholders can critically reflect on ethical challenges of the 21st century in healthcare and in biomedical research. This is a crucial mission for Baylor College of Medicine, one of the United States’ premier institutions of medical research, patient care and medical education.

Our History

Dr. Brody and Dr. McGuire with Baylor College of Medicine President Dr. Paul Klotman.

The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy began as a joint project of Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University, enabling the center to draw on the rich intellectual resources of both institutions.

The center, founded in 1982 by Baruch Brody, Ph.D., is committed to creating a shared, intellectual environment that encourages critical reflection on emerging, as well as perennial, ethical and policy challenges in healthcare and biomedical research. The impetus for founding the center was in recognition that the ever-increasing abilities of medicine raise fundamental value questions of how society should use these abilities and how much of them society can afford to use. The very success of medicine has made its practice morally complex.

Dr. Baruch Brody retired from Baylor in July 2012. In August 2012, Dr. Paul Klotman appointed Amy L. McGuire, J.D., Ph.D. as the new director of the center. As director, Dr. McGuire is committed to building upon the strong foundation that the founding members of the center laid down, as well as continuing to develop the core missions of the center to create a nationally recognized center of excellence.

The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine is located in the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical complex. Today, our center comprises six faculty members, two of whom hold endowed positions, and 20 administrative, research, and clinical ethics personnel, housed in newly renovated space on the main Baylor campus. Our faculty have expertise in diverse disciplines including medical humanities, philosophy, religious studies, law, clinical ethics, medicine, social science, and health policy.